A lot of misconceptions about the condition remain. It is not a death sentence by any means. Treatment have evolved in the last 25 years, Dr. Basu says. For example, in the modern era, a person suffering from leukemia has a 75 percent chance of surviving if he or she gets a bone marrow transplant, Dr. Basu says. “It used to be just 20 percent with chemotherapy alone.”

Quality of life as well as longevity has improved significantly, too. The single most important part in making sure they do is early detection.

Some popular myths about how cancer starts and spreads should be debunked. Many of them are rooted in old theories. The trouble is that these wrong ideas can lead to unnecessary worry, delay diagnoses and affect treatment results.